Konoha Mental
by justanotheryaoifangirl
Summary: Naruto is sent to a mental hospital to help deal with his split personality. However, he got more than he bargained for when he meets the other patients...specifically a certain Uchiha Sasuke. SasuNaru/NaruSasu
1. Prolouge

Author's Note: I finally got this fic up and running, I feel so accomplished! Review my lovely (if nonexistent) readers! Without reviews I won't know how to improve, so don't forget to hit the little purple button at the bottom of the page!

Warnings: Eventual yaoi, (boy X boy) don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: No, I won't do it! They can't make me! phone rings Hello?…yes sir…of course sir…yes, I understand…it won't happen again sir…hangs up. I own nothing, and my belongings consist of…72 cents and a few safety pins, so don't sue…

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Sky-blue eyes stared up at the crooked letters that adorned the intimidating white building in front of him. A bird's nest was settled in the second "o" of "Konoha," giving the outward impression of neglect as well as an uncaring attitude. The blond-haired boy couldn't help but wonder what had possessed the bird to make his home in such a place. It certainly couldn't have been a first option. Said blond then grinned, realizing that the bird could have instead chosen to reside in the "Mental Hospital" portion of the title. This was how his guardian, Iruka, found him; looking up at the black letters reading "Konoha Mental Hospital" and smiling absentmindedly. The older man gently elbowed the younger one in the shoulder, successfully waking the boy from his silent musings. Blue eyes blinked rapidly several times before turning to regard the sad smile on his guardian's usually calm face. He responded to the look with a dazzling, ear-to-ear grin that would have looked pitifully fake on anyone else. Not only did his cheery grin alleviate Iruka's previously heartrending smile, it also helped the boy catch the eye of a nurse walking out the front door of the aforementioned building.

"Come on, Iruka, this was your idea. You know I would probably be safer here anyway. Besides," the blond continued, "I've always wanted to see what the inside of one of these places looked like!"

Iruka opened his mouth to speak, but got cut off by a young, petite nurse making her way to the two figures that had been standing in front of the door. Brushing her short, dark brown hair out of her eyes, she turned to the two men and proceeded to introduce herself.

"Hi, my name is Shizune." Her voice was soft and sweet and her dark brown eyes brimmed with kindness. "Welcome to Konoha Mental, I'm one of the nurses that works here." She looked at Iruka and extended her hand. Iruka, being the perfect gentleman that he was took her hand and shook it reflexively. Shizune then turned her gaze to the sunny-haired boy on Iruka's right. "You must be Naruto, correct?" she asked pleasantly.

Said boy brightened up immediately at the mention of his name and unleashed one of his astounding ear-to-ear grins. "Yup!" he exclaimed "Uzumaki Naruto, the one and only!" Shizune gave a short little chuckle and rubbed the top of the boy's head affectionately before turning back to his guardian.

"Most of the kids got here yesterday, so many of them have already had the time to introduce themselves. However, we haven't organized the rooms yet because we wanted to take a look at everyone's diagnosis and see how everyone got along before we put them in rooms together." The nurse then looked back at the excited boy, puzzling over his odd behavior. Most kids were heartbroken when they learned that they would have to be staying at a mental hospital, but here was this boy smiling and laughing and all and all looking downright thrilled at the prospect of staying in Konoha Mental. Shizune directed her gaze back towards the boy's guardian. "Since you were the only ones to come today we might have trouble finding someone who has enough free time to give you both the grand tour today," she apologized. "However, you're welcome to come and visit on weekends, and I'm sure you could find someone to show you around then."

Iruka smiled and nodded. "Of course, that's perfectly understandable. I wouldn't want to cause any trouble if no one was available." With that, Shizune turned around and led the both of them into the facility. However, she was met at the door by a rather frazzled-looking blond woman.

"Shizune, do you remember which room we put the extra sake in?" The woman crossed her arms over her large chest and looked down at the nurse.

"Tsunade-sama! You should be inside doing your paperwork! What are you doing looking for sake?" Shizune's tone was high-pitched and panicky. She looked at her employer incredulously before turning around to examine the expressions on the two men behind her. Iruka's expression was one of almost complete and utter shock, which was to be expected considering that the appearance of the woman was that of an irresponsible businesswoman, complete with ink marks on her face, proof that she had fallen asleep sometime while doing her paperwork. The boy, however, looked unfazed by the woman's unusual appearance and backed up, as if trying to use Iruka as a shield. Once safely behind his guardian, he brightened up considerably, waiting for the blond woman to notice his presence.

When said woman finally decided to look his way for lack of an adequate response from her assistant, the only adequate response being a specific location of her stash of good sake, Naruto opened his mouth and yelled an enthusiastic "Ohayo Tsunade-baachan!" before attempting to move even further behind his flustered and now utterly confused guardian. However, before that could happen, the busty woman had him inches from her face, as he was now being held up by the firm grip she had on the back of his collar, and was fuming.

"WHAT did I say about calling me that gaki?" Tsunade's honey-colored eyes promised imminent doom to the nervous-looking blond wriggling around in her secure grasp.

"B-but Tsunade-sama…" The helpless blond looked up at the woman still threatening to strangle him before pouting and attempting to give her doe eyes. However, it was proving harder than he first thought. After all, pouting wasn't necessarily the best thing to attempt when one could hardly breathe. Eventually, after shifting around a little bit more in the woman's grasp he managed to pull of his infamous puppy-eyes. Tsunade glowered at the boy before growling and releasing her grasp, unceremoniously letting the owner of said dangerous eyes hit the cold, hard tile floor.

"Itai…" Naruto groaned, rubbing the top of his sore head.

"Ts-Tsunade-sama? I believe it would be appropriate if we got Naruto situated now?" Shizune took a nervous glance at her employer, watching her slowly calm down from her incident. "I know we might not find anyone to give them the tour but…"

"Pfft, not everyone here is that busy Shizune," the irritated woman replied. She then turned so that her back was to the other two still in her presence, cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted down the empty hallway. "KAKASHI!" Several seconds later a man walked out of a door near the far end of the hallway, then proceeded to walk to the group who was still standing in the middle of the lobby at a leisurely pace. The two new arrivals couldn't help but stare at the man's strange appearance. His hair was spiked at an unnatural angle and was an unusual grey color, unusual because, despite the grey hair, the man looked fairly young. He had what seemed to be a ski mask on, which was covering his mouth and nose. He also wore a headband over his left eye with the mental hospital's logo on it.

He tucked the book that he was reading under his arm and smiled at the two newcomers, well, as far as they could tell from his visible eye, and gave them the very formal introduction of "Yo."

Iruka was the first to recover from the shock that was the strange man's appearance and held out his hand while politely introducing himself. "I'm Umino Iruka, Naruto's guardian." Kakashi let his eyes roam freely over the shorter man, taking in his general appearance. Chocolate-brown eyes blended in perfectly with his tanned skin. A thin scar running across the bridge of his nose surprisingly gave him a rather innocent look and his dark eyes were warm and inviting. When Iruka noticed the intensity of the taller man's gaze, he blushed self-consciously. Seeing the blush, Kakashi took Iruka's hand and, instead of shaking it, brought it slowly to his lips. He pulled back to see that Iruka's blush had darkened several shades of red.

"Hatake Kakashi." Tsunade sighed, crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently while Shizune looked down at her feet, suddenly finding the pattern of the floor tiles very interesting.

When Kakashi finally looked up into the fiery eyes of the still miffed woman she glared before giving him his instructions. "I want you to give these two a tour of the facility. When you're done, bring Naruto to the cafeteria and meet me in my office. I believe we have something to discuss." Ignoring the obvious threat in her words, Kakashi turned back to the blushing brunette and still in shock blond, his eyes curving upward into a happy "U" shape.

"Right this way," he said turning around and walking down the hall, not waiting for the two to realize that they should be following.

Tsunade watched the two scurry after Kakashi and waited for them to turn a corner before massaging her temples and turning to Shizune. "Something tells me I'm going to start having to buy more sake with this kid around…"

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Remember to look down and give the little purple button a click … 


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This chapter took longer than I thought, but I'm pretty pleased with it so review! Without reviews I won't know how to improve, so don't forget to hit the little purple button at the bottom of the page!

Warnings: Eventual yaoi, (boy X boy) don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: No, I won't do it! They can't make me! phone rings Hello?…yes sir…of course sir…yes, I understand…it won't happen again sir…hangs up

I own nothing, and my belongings consist of…a couple of crumpled pieces of paper and a few safety pins, so don't sue…

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Naruto had just cleared a sharp corner and was now trying to catch up to the two men in front of him. Finally catching up to them, he was disappointed to find that instead of the promised tour, Kakashi was instead silently reading the little orange book he had tucked under is arm earlier. When catching a glimpse of the inside of the book, Iruka had also fallen silent, abandoning his attempt at a conversation, preferring instead to keep his eyes on the floor, lest he happen to accidentally view another part of his escort's…"romance novel." Somehow, their guide managed to lead them to the cafeteria in a minimal amount of time while not once looking up or pulling his nose out of his book. Naruto, trying his best to behave, on account of his guardian's presence, was growing impatient with the silence and was just about ready to burst when he finally reached the doors leading to the eatery. Taking in a deep breath, he pushed open the door and walked in. 

Never, in his whole life, would Naruto have ever imagined that a mental hospital could be so crowded. Not moving from his spot, he looked around to find all of the tables occupied. His eyes strayed to the nearest table, taking in the appearance of the number of people sitting around it. A tall blond was talking energetically to an exasperated-looking man with slicked back silver hair and violet eyes. The blond was apparently very involved with whatever it was he was saying and made a point of emphasizing every statement with a motion of some sort from his right hand. Naruto was sure he would have been using both hands had one not been wrapped around the waist of a boyish-looking red head who was currently looking blankly out the window. On the other side of the table, a tall man with what appeared to be blue-tinted skin was desperately trying to shut up a brunette whose face was currently covered by an orange mask. The last person at the table had a wad of money in his left hand and was counting it dutifully. However, the strangest part of the members of this first table was that all six occupants were wearing identical black t-shirts with the outline of a cloud in red on the back.

Shifting his view to the right, he noticed another table, less crowded than the first and occupied by four younger-looking girls. The first thing at the table to draw his attention to it was a bright pink head of hair. The owner of said hair was leaning across the table, bringing herself closer to a perky blue-eyed girl with long platinum blond hair who somehow managed to talk at a pace that rivaled an auctioneer's while simultaneously giggling like a madman. The blond was sitting next to a quiet girl with bluish hair and lilac eyes who was looking down and twiddling her index fingers nervously. Across from her, a brunette who had her hair up in two buns was deeply absorbed in examining the metal knife on the pink-haired girl's plate, since apparently, the one on her one plate seemed to be made of plastic. As much as the group at the first table scared him, he couldn't imagine ever wanting to sit with the four at the second table and again redirected his gaze.

This time he found himself looking at a fairly empty table, containing only three people. Naruto immediately recognized his friend Gaara by the shock of red hair, but stopped himself from walking over. With him was his older sister, Temari, who was glowering down at the food on her plate. Across from her, Naruto found Kankuro, Gaara's older brother with his head propped up on his arms looking impassively at his younger sibling. He had on his famous black hoodie, and the eared hood was pulled down over his messy brown hair. As much as Naruto wished that he could sit by his friend, Gaara's siblings frightened him, to say the least. Temari was actually a nice girl, and tended to have a soft spot for Naruto, but she often had vicious mood swings and was usually violent for the duration of her episodes. Kankuro, however, was another story entirely. He detested Naruto, to put it lightly. Even though he could indeed be a very likable person, Naruto could always feel Kankuro's eyes boring holes into the back of his head when ever he was conversing with Gaara. Naruto still hadn't become immune to the glares and was always uncomfortable around him. So, instead of going to sit with his childhood friend, Naruto kept searching.

This time, his eyes found a table where two (or was that three?) boys and one (or maybe two?) girl were chatting happily. The first thing to catch his eye was something green. Looking again, he realized that it was a full body spandex suit being worn by an energetic looking boy with a bowl cut and some of the world's bushiest eyebrows. Quickly redirecting his gaze, he found himself looking at a pale boy with short, dark hair and a shirt that bared his midriff. His face was blank and he was sketching in a small book. Sitting across from him was pretty-looking girl with long brown hair and brown eyes who was listening quietly to the boy (girl?) sitting next to her. Looking at the last occupant of the table, Naruto' brows furrowed as he tried to figure out just what gender he (she?) was. He (she?) also had long brown hair, which was pulled back in a loose ponytail. The figure also had lilac eyes, identical to those of the girl at the second table. Figuring that it would be best to know the gender of all the inhabitants of a table before sitting, if only to save himself from embarrassment, Naruto again looked elsewhere for a place to sit.

"You know, if you keep standing there, you're going to miss your chance to get something to eat." Naruto nearly jumped a foot in the air at the sudden voice. Turning around, he found Kakashi standing no more than a few inches in back of him and leaning over so that he was now Naruto's height.

"What the hell Kakashi-sensei? What are you still doing here? Don't you have an appointment with the old hag?" Looking rather unfazed by the blonde's outburst, Kakashi simply pointed a finger at something to his left.

"I just thought you might like to know that they're going to be closing the kitchen in about five seconds." He said, expression not changing once.

"WHAT?" Naruto spun around and watched as the doors were beginning to close, almost in slow motion. "No, wait!" Making his way around Kakashi, Naruto began running towards the gradually closing doors, weaving in and out of the tables in his way. However, his progress was stopped by an unidentified object right in the middle of his passageway. Unable to swerve around it in time, Naruto tripped and landed face-first on the floor. Lifting up his head to massage his aching forehead, he saw the kitchen doors close and cursed under his breath. "Kuso! Kakashi-baka!" Still cursing, Naruto got up, only to find himself looking into the deep onyx eyes of another patient. His lips were contorted into a sardonic smirk and he looked down at Naruto from his seat across from a pale boy with two red dots on his forehead and next to a serious-looking redhead and a white-haired boy who was laughing hysterically.

"Dobe." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the raven-haired boy in front of him.

"Shut up, teme!" Naruto fumed, glaring at the arrogant smirk on the boy's pale face.

"No dobe," he taunted "I don't think I will."

"Don't call me dobe, teme! Who the hell do you think you are?" Naruto had decided right then and there, he did NOT like this guy. Not getting an answer, Naruto spoke again. "What is it teme? You think you're too good to answer?" The boy raised a hand to his face, effectively catching Naruto's thrown fist. Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at his captured fist. By this time, the whole cafeteria had taken notice of the fight going on and had quieted considerably. Anger flickered passed those onyx eyes, but disappeared as quickly as it had come.

""I don't suggest you pick fights that you have no chance of winning, dobe. You must be dumber than I thought." Naruto growled and pulled back his other fist, lunging at the boy again, determined to beat that smug look off his face. However, before he could, someone had grabbed his elbow from behind and held onto it with a strong grip.

"Aww, just shut the fuck up, Uchiha." Before he knew it, Naruto was being dragged away by the owner of the hand on his elbow before getting heaved onto a bench. Turning around, Naruto saw a brunette walking around the table to sit on the side opposite him. The boy was wearing a hooded sweatshirt that was pulled up over the dog on his head, and tattooed onto his cheeks were two red triangular marks pointed downward to look like fangs. Naruto's brain paused before realizing what it was that was off about the boy in front of him.

Immediately forgetting the raven-haired boy, he looked up at the kid in front of him, before blurting out, "Dude, you've got a dog on your head!" The boy chuckled a little before sitting down in front of Naruto.

"Yeah, I know. That's Akamaru. The name's Inuzuka Kiba," he said. "This is Choji, Shino, and Shikamaru." Naruto looked at the first boy, who must have been in the mental hospital for a binge eating disorder, pause in the act of shoveling food into his mouth to look up at Naruto and wave sheepishly. Turning to face the second boy that Kiba had referred to, Naruto found himself looking at a face covered by a high-collared coat and, for some unidentified reason, sunglasses. The last occupant of the table had his head resting on his crossed arms and appeared to be sleeping. Noticing Naruto's gaze, Kiba spoke again. "Ehh, just ignore Shika. He's in for hypersomnia, though we're pretty sure he's just a lazy ass. Shino's in for depression." Leaning in so that he could whisper into Naruto's ear, he continued. "Choji's here for a binge eating disorder, but whatever you do, DON'T call him fat." Shifting back in his chair, Kiba resumed talking at a regular volume. "I'm in for ADHD and minor kleptomania. What're you in for?"

"O–oh…me? Uh…I–I'm in f–for…uh…" Naruto could feel himself beginning to sweat and mentally cursed himself for not coming up with a convincing lie beforehand. He knew that this was going to come eventually but had hoped that he wouldn't have to tell anyone about it upon their first meeting. However, Naruto was saved from answering by a loud, resounding buzz, seemingly signaling the end of lunch. True to his ADHD, Kiba momentarily forgot his question and jumped out of his seat. Grabbing Naruto's arm with one hand and using the other to slap the sleeping boy in the back of the head, he began weaving in and out of the other patients in a mad dash to the door.

"Hurry up!" he called behind him. "If we get to the lounge early enough, we might get a shot at the foosball table!" Naruto sighed in relief with the knowledge that his split-personality could stay his secret for at least a little longer and began to run after the boy in front of him.

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Reviews, my lovely readers! Oh, and cookies to whoever can guess who's sitting next to Neji! 


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Eh, I think my writing skills flew out the window somewhere in the middle of this chapter, but oh well. I like parts of it so I shall live. Without reviews I won't know how to improve, so don't forget to hit the little purple button at the bottom of the page!

Warnings: Mild language and some yaoi, (boy X boy) don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: No, I won't do it! They can't make me! phone rings Hello?…yes sir…of course sir…yes, I understand…it won't happen again sir…hangs up

I own nothing, and my belongings consist of…two origami swans and a few safety pins, so don't sue… (If you haven't guessed by now, I have a safety pin obsession)

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Tsunade watched as the eyes of her subordinate scanned over the piece of paper in her hands. Seeing that she was rather involved in doing the job she was asked, Tsunade's hand stealthily crept closer to the bottom left drawer of her desk, the drawer that she had put her newly acquired sake in. Glancing back up at the woman standing by the edge of the desk, Tsunade slowly pulled the drawer open. Only a few more centimeters until she could slip her hand in…almost there…a little further…

"Ano, Tsunade-sama?" She slammed the drawer shut and turned to her assistant, trying to get rid of the guilty expression on her face. "You're not really thinking of putting Naruto and Sasuke in a room together are you?" Shizune asked nervously.

"Well, why wouldn't I? I don't see the problem with having those two in the same room." Tsunade replied, once again adopting a serious expression.

"But, those two are already off to a bad start! Were you even listening to Kakashi when he came in?"

"Of course I was listening!" the voluptuous woman retorted. "What would give you the idea that I wasn't?"

"But, the two boys almost started a fist-fight in the middle of the cafeteria," the petite woman lamented. "Putting them in a room together will only stir up more tension!"

The blond snorted, effectively losing the serious vise that had already begun to slip. "Oh, please, Shizune. If anything, forcing them to deal with each other almost every waking hour of the day will compel them to put aside whatever problems they have with each other. Besides, the Uchiha needs to learn tough love, and the gaki deserves it after what he puts me through every day."

"Tsunade!" Shizune's appearance was one of total shock. "You're just doing this because you enjoy watching them fight aren't you?" A look of mild guilt had again found its way onto the blonde's face. "What happens when Naruto…if Kyuu-…did you think through the consequences of rooming Naruto with someone he obviously doesn't like?"

"Shizune, I believe you know as well as I do what Sasuke's past was like. If it's the violence that worries you, I believe your qualms are unfounded."

"Tsunade-sama, you can't actually be serious about going through with this? I'm asking you to please reconsider!"

"Shizune, just trust me on this one," Tsunade coaxed. "I have nothing but what's best for the boys in mind. Besides," she grinned, "this could prove to be interesting…" Ignoring the disapproving huff from her assistant as she left, Tsunade again reached for her drawer of sake.

"Oh, Tsunade-sama? I took the liberty of putting your sake in the safe down the hall and changing the combination." The brunette stated before leaving the room. Slamming the drawer shut, Tsunade sighed and let her forehead hit the cold, hard surface of the desk in front of her.

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"Aww, come on Shika! You at least have to try!" Kiba wined indignantly. "It's no fun whooping your asses if you don't put up a fight!"

"Nothing doing. Too troublesome," Shikamaru replied, before yet again laying his head on his crossed arms.

Growling at the sleeping figure of his friend, Kiba crossed his arms and looked down at the foosball table. Head suddenly jerking up, Kiba looked wide-eyed at his teammate. "Hey, Naruto," he blurted out, remembering his new companion's name. "We haven't introduced you to everybody yet! Come on," he cried, not giving him much of a choice as he grabbed the blonde's wrist and pulled him, along with a potato-chip munching Choji, to the closest group of people.

Of the five girls gossiping intently, Naruto recognized one of them to be Gaara's sister and mentally prepared himself for the attack. "'Sup, guy– eh, girls! Meet the newbie, his name is Naruto," Kiba said, pushing him forward into the chatty girls' circle. At the sound of his name, Temari looked up and, upon seeing him, instantaneously jumped up and wrapped her arms around him in a secure hug.

"Naruto-kun! I haven't seen you in so long!" Retracting her grip, Temari ruffled his hair affectionately and pulled him further into the circle. Then, turning back towards the other girls, she adopted a tone that was all business. "Alright girlies, this is my little brother's friend, Uzumaki Naruto, and you are going to like him," she finalized, leaving no room for objections.

The pink-haired girl waved optimistically, introducing herself as Haruno Sakura. The redhead, whose nose was buried, curiously enough, in a psychology journal, responded with a curt "Karin" before adjusting her glasses and turning another page of her medical work.

"Ooh, Kiba, where did you find this one?" a sudden voice from behind him asked. Before he could turn around and identify the owner of said voice, two slender arms had draped themselves over his shoulders and around his neck. "He's almost as cute as Sasuke-kun…" Naruto stiffened as one of the hands that were on his neck made its way to his face at guided it towards the right. Now looking over his shoulder, Naruto found himself face to face with blond-haired, blue-eyed chatterbox he had seen in the cafeteria. "Hey cutie, my name is Ino."

"Ino, stop it. You're scaring the newbie," a voice to the left of him sighed. "Get off."

Giving a short huff, the girl withdrew her arms and sat back down on the armrest of the couch. Turning around to find the girl who had just spoke, Naruto found a brunette looking down at his hands. Introducing herself as Tenten, the girl continued to look at them for several seconds before looking up at Naruto with a slight smile.

"I like your nails," she commented, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Upon hearing this, Kiba promptly snorted before beginning to laugh loudly. Naruto self-consciously went to stick his hands in the pockets of his orange cargos, but Kiba made a grab for his wrist and effectively pulled his right hand out of his pocket.

Laughing stopping abruptly when Kiba actually saw them, he studied the sharpened nails with a puzzled expression before looking back up at Naruto. "Dude, what the fuck?"

Naruto flushed, pulling his hand out of Kiba's grasp and hastily sticking it in his pocket. "No, its nothing, just…never mind. I've been meaning to cut them for a while, I just never got the chance," he lied. He figured it was better than telling them what Kyuu…what _he_ did whenever he found the nails blunted. He looked back at the two boys who were now studying him and gave them what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

Shrugging carelessly, Kiba fortunately dropped the topic and waved a goodbye to the girls before dragging Naruto off to another part of the large lounge, forgetting to bring along Choji as well. Stopping in front of the last girl in the room, he took a pause, letting go of Naruto and lacing his fingers together behind his back.

"Ano, Hinata-chan," he asked quietly. The girl gave a surprised squeak and looked up from the novel she was reading. Recognizing Kiba, she relaxed again.

"O-ohayo, K-Kiba-kun," she stuttered, looking down at the book in her hands timidly, before again raising her eyes to look at the two boys in front of her.

"Hinata-chan, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He just got here today. Naruto, meet Hyugga Hinata, one of my friends from the Academy," Kiba said solemnly and surprisingly calmly. Hinata gave Naruto a small wave before blushing and looking back down at her paperback. Before Naruto could say anything in response to the gesture, Kiba had already dragged him off to another group of people. Shoving Naruto in front of him, Kiba again introduced the boy. "Okay guys, this is Naruto, Naruto these are some more guys from the Academy."

Something green immediately jumped into Naruto's field of view and before he could focus on what it was, it shouted vehemently "I, ROCK LEE, WELCOME MY YOUTHFUL COMPANION! MAY THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH BE WITH YOU!" The talking green thing took a step back and Naruto recognized it as the boy with the bowl cut and the oversized eyebrows. Smiling nervously, Naruto waved slightly and took a step back from the overenthusiastic teen.

"Lee, please sit down. We all would like to meet Naruto as well, and I believe you might have scared him." Hearing the deep voice, Naruto looked at the speaker, now certain that he was a boy, and found the girl who was sitting at his table contently braiding his long ponytail.

"Neji-san, forgive me," the green-clad boy cried. "Naruto-kun, I must apologize, and as punishment for my behavior, I will do 100 push-ups! And if I cannot do that than I will do 200 crunches! If I am unable to comp-"

"Lee, please just sit down," the pale-eyed boy sighed exasperatedly. Doing as he was told, Lee sat down again and resumed fiddling with the bandages around his arms.

Rising from the couch, the boy who had coaxed Lee into his seat took a step forward, holding his hand out to Naruto and ignoring the wines of protest coming from the girl behind him. "My name is Hyugga Neji," he introduced in a tone that suggested that he had come from a proper, high-class family.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the blond replied, warmly shaking the offered hand. Reluctantly letting go of his friend's long ponytail, the girl sitting in back of Neji stood up and introduced herself.

"I'm Haku, and I'm a boy," she, well, more accurately _he,_ said.

Naruto blinked slowly several times. "Oh," he said dumbly, unable to think of anything else to respond with.

Seeing Naruto's expression, the boy laughed good-naturedly. "It's okay," he replied calmly "everyone does it."

"Maybe if you grew a penis people would stop thinking that, Haku-san." Blushing at the comment, Naruto looked down to find the speaker lying on the floor, drawing in a sketchbook. Giving an annoyed huff, the feminine boy gave the artist a swift kick in the ass, to which he responded to by grabbing Haku's leg and giving it a jerk, unbalancing him and causing him to fall on top of the sprawled out boy. Making the best out of his position above the other boy, Haku made himself comfortable sitting on his exposed lower back and putting one foot on either side of the artist's head. Watching Haku calmly rest his elbows on his bent knees, while the other dismissed the individual on his back and went back to drawing in his sketchbook, Naruto blushed nervously at their rather suggestive positioning.

Seeing his uncomfortable expression, Kiba turned to Naruto. "Haku and Sai flirt like this regularly. You'll get used to it though…well, eventually anyway."

"Nurse," Neji said calmly, giving a pointed look to the two boys on the floor. Whining girlishly, Haku got up off of his human couch, but not before purposely brushing his fingers over Sai's uncovered, toned stomach, earning him a soft moan from the thus far stoic boy.

"Everyone, could I please have your attention," the nurse, whom Naruto knew as Shizune, asked. Waiting patiently for everyone to quiet down, Shizune pulled up a chair and reread the list in front of her. Upon seeing Naruto and Sasuke's names, she crossed them off and put them at the bottom of the list, mentally preparing herself to read those two names out loud. Looking back up, she found everyone ready and waiting for what she had to say. "Tsunade-sama has figured out the rooming arrangements for all of you, so when I call your names, please come up here and you and your roommate may leave and make your way to your assigned rooms. Beginning with the ladies, Sakura and Ino, room one; Hinata and Tenten, room two; Temari and…" Naruto watched as each of the paired off roommates exchanged glances with each other and made their way out the door of the lounge, one in front of the other. "…Shikamaru and Choji, room seven; Shino and Kiba, room eight; Hidan and Kakuzu room…" Watching his friend get up and walk down the hall, Naruto looked around the room at who was still left, mind vaguely registering the unfamiliar names that Shizune was reading. "…Neji and Lee, room twelve; and Naruto and Sasuke, room thirteen." Looking up, Naruto scanned the lounge on the lookout for the boy with the unfamiliar name. However, Naruto found himself alone, save for a particularly familiar face. A flash of recognition, followed realization flickered through his eyes.

"You!"

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Like it, hate it? Review! (And cookies to whoever guessed Haku!) 


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the wait but I had some major writers block on top of midyears and a massive amount of final projects. Also, this chapter took a lot longer to write than the previous chapters because the transition to angst and back was a bit bumpy. I want to know what you think so don't forget to hit the little purple button at the bottom of the page!

Warnings: Some violence, language and hints at yaoi, (boy X boy) don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: No, I won't do it! They can't make me! phone rings Hello?…yes sir…of course sir…yes, I understand…it won't happen again sir…hangs up

I own nothing, and my belongings consist of a few safety pins, so don't sue…

* * *

Naruto watched as the room's sole occupant, save for himself, looked up from his spot on a couch in front of a small table. Blue met black, and Naruto found himself staring at a glare cold enough to put ice to shame. Returning the angry stare with an equally hateful look, Naruto opened his mouth, ready to tell this guy exactly what he thought of him. However, he was interrupted by a rather flustered Shizune, timidly asking if they could please leave, because she needed to close up the lounge. Ignoring Naruto, Sasuke resumed his emotionless expression and swept past Shizune on his way out the door, not bothering to give either so much as a sideways glance. Silently growling at the back of his head and willing the spikes to catch on fire, Naruto scurried after his new roommate.

"Oi! Sasuke! Teme!" Stopping abruptly at the use of the offensive term, Naruto found himself crashing into the stoic boy in front of him. Angrily rubbing his sore nose, he glared angrily at his roommate. "What was that for? Why did you stop?"

"Don't call me teme, dobe," he replied flatly, before continuing to walk down to the last room at the end of the hall.

"I am not a dobe, teme," Naruto cried indignantly, ignoring Sasuke's request. Not getting a response, he crossed his arms resentfully and gave an undignified huff, sulkily following the boy in front of him.

Unknowingly, Naruto's legs picked up their pace in a subtle attempt to beat the raven-haired boy next to him to the door of their shared room. Realizing what he was doing, Naruto began to consciously make an effort to walk ahead of his roommate, instead of the other way around. After all, to walk behind someone was a sign of submission, and there was no was he was going to allow himself to submit to the arrogant ice prince that was now his roommate.

Seeing what the boy next to him was trying to do, Sasuke began to take larger strides. Who did that dobe think he was fooling? He couldn't best Sasuke, so why even try? Determined not to let the blond think he had an upper hand, Sasuke almost automatically quickened his pace, not even thinking about what he was doing.

Turning his head, Naruto found that not only was Sasuke matching his speed, he also seemed determined to beat it. Scowling, Naruto sped up in a slow jog, placing himself marginally closer to the room than the boy next to him, and let a stray smirk flicker across his face.

Before his mind was able to catch up with his feet, Sasuke found himself sprinting to the door at the end of the hall, his legs seemingly set on beating the blue-eyed blond racing next to him. However, a familiar low whistle from behind brought him back to his senses.

"Damn, Sasuke, and here I was thinking that I'd never get to see you break a sweat! Who's that kid you were racing? He really must be something to get you this riled up. Now there's someone I have to meet."

"Shut up, Suigetsu," Sasuke seethed. However, said boy only laughed.

"You should try appearing human more often. It looks good on you," the white-haired boy joked gleefully.

"Ha! Beat you to the door, teme," Naruto announced triumphantly, grasping the silver handle and pushing downward. Meeting resistance, the blond frowned.

"Great, dobe, but next time you might want to think about who has the key," the raven replied, his hand flaunting a small white plastic card.

Cheeks coloring slightly, Naruto pouted and folded his arms across his chest indignantly. "Just open the door, teme. I don't want to wait all day for you to get down here."

"Shut up, Usuratonkachi," Sasuke growled, the two people he was with souring his already dark mood.

"Ouch, so cruel Sasuke. How can you be heartless enough to say no to that face?"

"Go away, Suigetsu," Sasuke said, glowering at him.

"I love you too," he responded, walking away grinning over his shoulder, waving carelessly and laughing.

Watching Suigetsu's retreating back, Sasuke resumed his inexpressive façade and turned back towards the door of his room. Convincing himself that he was walking slowly to make up for his previous running, as opposed to the sheer fact that it pissed Naruto off, Sasuke made his way down the hall. Opening the door, he was almost immediately bowled over by his too-excited roommate. Not really looking at where he was going, Naruto somehow managed to trip over the two bags in the middle of the room, finding himself sprawled out on the floor surrounded by papers, clothes, and other miscellaneous items that he was positive didn't belong to him.

"You baka!"

"How was that my fault? Your bag shouldn't have been opened!" Naruto yelled, picking his bag off the floor and scrambling out of the way of the now infuriated boy. Backing up enough so that he wasn't the closest thing to his dangerously angry roommate, Naruto watched Sasuke pick his things off the floor, unceremoniously throwing them back into his open bag. Seeing him reach under the bed for the remainder of his stuff, Naruto watched curiously from his spot at the end of what was turning out to be Sasuke's bed, judging from the increasing amount of his stuff being thrown onto it. However, a sudden change in the raven's demeanor caused Naruto to lean over a little further to see what it was that had caught Sasuke's attention. Solemnly, almost reverently, Sasuke picked up a piece of paper with the date 'June 9th' written in black pen on what seemed to be the back. Watching as Sasuke flipped it over, Naruto realized that the piece of paper was actually a photo. In it, a long-haired teenager that looked remarkably like Sasuke was carrying a younger boy on his back that must have been his brother. Seeing the change in his roommate's attitude, Naruto went to speak.

"Hey, Sasuke…" Hearing the hesitation in Naruto's voice, Sasuke looked over his shoulder, indicating that the blond continue. "What happened on June 9th?"

Whirling around and grabbing the blonde's arms, Sasuke threw the powerless boy into the nearest wall and pinned him to it by the shoulders. Forced to look at the boy in front of him dead on, due to their close proximity, Naruto could have sworn that his roommate's black eyes had flashed red. However, upon closer inspection, Naruto attributed the color change to a trick of the light. The raven's eyes were still the same dark hue and seemed to be boring holes into Naruto's own cerulean orbs. Still, Naruto couldn't force himself to look away, as much as he wanted to. Somewhere behind the scorching and enveloping anger, Naruto was shocked to find a look he had seen too often when he faced his own reflection in the mirror. Seeing it on someone other than himself made him recognize it for what it was, a look of torture and pure mental anguish.

Squinting in what he hoped looked like fury instead of an attempt to hide unbidden tears, Sasuke tightened the grip he had on the boy's orange sleeves. Under normal circumstances, he would have wondered what it was that had possessed the blond to wear such an outrageous color, but now the thought didn't even cross his mind. Watching him wince as Sasuke's nails dug into Naruto's shoulders, the boy didn't even try to suppress the satisfied snarl that found its way onto his lips. Looking back to the blue eyes widened in a mix of fear and another indistinguishable emotion, Sasuke's already sinister mood darkened. How dare this boy have such innocent eyes! How dare his eyes show every fleeting emotion that went through his head!

Bringing his face even closer to that of the boy so helplessly pinned against the wall, Sasuke parted his lips next to a tanned ear and spoke in a low growl. "Don't you **dare** mention that **date** in my presence **ever** again!" Pulling away from the blond so that he could again look at his face, Sasuke snarled at the boy's closed eyelids. "Open your **eyes**, dobe," he demanded icily. At the sound of Sasuke's voice, Naruto clenched his eyes together even more firmly, determined not to look at the expression he knew was on Sasuke's face. Once he noticed the tormented undertone to those furious eyes, he found himself unable to look at the raven without shuddering at the similarities between his captor and his reflection. "I said, **open** them, dobe," Sasuke said harshly, tightening his grasp on the boy's shoulders, the nails of his hands threatening to break through the skin at Naruto's collarbone.

Realizing what was about to happen, Naruto's lids flew open, his hands frantically clawing at Sasuke's own, trying to remove them from his shoulders. "Sasuke! Sasuke, stop! You don't want me to- I can't bleed! Sasuke, let go!" Noticing that Naruto was doing all he could to escape from his grasp while doing the best he could not to look at him dead on, Sasuke removed his right hand from the blonde's shoulder and roughly grabbed his chin, forcing their eyes to meet.

"**Look** at me! I won't let you ignore me again, **Itachi**!" The name slip went by summarily unnoticed by both parties as eyes locked. Unable to look away once their eyes met, Naruto desperately tried to free his body while maintaining eye contact with the two black orbs in front of him. In a distracted attempt to escape Sasuke's grasp and gaze, Naruto jerked his right shoulder forward. Wincing at the pain of a nail breaking the skin, Naruto started, and pushed Sasuke away frantically with a sudden, unexpected burst of strength before falling to his knees. Not realizing what had happened until he noticed blood dripping down his arm, Sasuke stared intriguingly at the hysterical blond in front of him. Taking a step towards his roommate, Sasuke was met with two wildly frightened blue eyes.

"Sasuke, you teme! What are you doing? **Run**!" Looking around, Naruto's eyes focused on one of the two doors in their room, this one leading to the bathroom. "Sasuke, get **out** of here! Lock yourself in the bathroom and **don't** come out," the boy pleaded in an oddly strangled voice. Sasuke looked at the bathroom door and froze. He couldn't go in there, not until he was sure- "Please, Sasuke! Plea-"

Naruto's pleas for help were harshly cut off as Naruto clutched his head and let out a purely animalistic sound, sending shivers down the spine of the room's only other resident. Glued to the spot, Sasuke could only watch as the tormented boy shuddered on the floor, trying to ward off whatever it was that was the cause of his sudden reaction. However, as quickly as it had come, Naruto soon lay on the floor motionless. Still unable to move, Sasuke watched the inactive body for several seconds, simply observing the rise and fall of the blonde's chest. Beginning to get used to the tense atmosphere, Sasuke readied himself to take down his guard. However, a twitch out of the corner of his eye caused him to spin around and look back at the orange lump on the floor.

Sasuke watched in perverse fascination as a blood-soaked hand made its way from the boy's tanned neck to his mouth, tongue flicking out and licking each of the fingers clean, right down to the sharp pointed fingernails. Still not having caught sight of Sasuke, the boy carefully examined his sharpened nails, giving a feral grin that suggested satisfaction with their condition. Slowly looking up, the bloodied individual caught sight of the unfamiliar surroundings before fixing his gaze on the transfixed and still unable to move Sasuke. Grinning wickedly, the blood-soaked blond pulled himself to his feet and made his way to the raven. Grabbing the boy's left wrist, the blond fingered the blood on Sasuke's arm, perfectly sharpened nails lightly pressing into the pale skin.

"I'll suppose this is the reason that I'm bleeding then?"

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction, a chill running down his spine. That voice, what had happened to Naruto's voice? Just moments ago the boy was speaking in a frightened tone, but now the voice being articulated from his roommate's mouth was deeper and laced with malicious amusement.

"What are you waiting for, boy? You should have high-tailed it out of here if you knew what was good for you. You should have listened to the kit when he warned you. He did warn you didn't he?" A cruel snicker escaped those sneering lips. "Of course he did, he always does." The boy's lips curled up into a mocking grin, an expression so out of place on Naruto's gentle face. "You know why that is, boy? Because the kit thinks **you're** the victim!" The boy laughed coldheartedly, obviously finding this statement quite the amusing fact. Inwardly, Sasuke shuddered. Could he even call the individual in front of him a boy? At the moment, creature seemed the better word. Still laughing, the…creature put a finger on Sasuke's chin, somehow forcing the taller boy to look up at him. "What's your name, boy?"

Finding his voice, he stuttered out a "S-Sasuke, Uch-"

"Hm, Sasuke, you say…" Did he ever stop laughing? "Well, isn't that **funny**, Sasuke? The poor kit has his priorities all mixed up! Don't you see? He doesn't know that the one that bleeds first is always the victim! He seems to think that it's **you**!"

Serial killer: that was the description Sasuke had been searching for. That was the only thing that seemed to accurately describe the chilling laugh echoing through the room, the too-wide smile cruelly etched onto the tanned face, the fiery demon eyes staring back at him from behind a veil of blue. The figure in front of him couldn't be anything else. But how could he be a serial killer? **He** was so different. **He** didn't have a laugh, there was no smile. Instead, he controlled silence, his lips did nothing but mock, berate. And his eyes, when he killed there was no remorse, nor was there a sadistic glimmer. There was only a blank slate: cold, detached, and devoid of any emotions that could define him as human.

"Well, kid? Why aren't you running? Not that I'm suggesting it of course; I hardly want to go through the trouble of catching you. But kid, please, at least make this a little interesting for me." Gradually coming back to his senses, Sasuke realized the position that he was in. Mentally evaluating his options, Sasuke swallowed and tentatively went to speak.

"N-Naruto…?" At the sound of Naruto's name, the crazed blond in front of laughed. How many times had he heard that laugh? Sasuke desperately wanted to put his hands over his ears and block out the chilling voice. He wanted to forget that he had ever heard such an agonizing sound. Sasuke knew that it was going to be added to the long list of things in his mind that he would never be able to forget; that face, laughing, always laughing.

"You mean to tell me that you think I'm that gaki? You really are amusing, Sasuke! I think I kind of like you! Too bad I'm going to have to slit that pretty little throat of yours." He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers and looking lovingly at his nails. "Well, I guess you do deserve to know…" he pondered, more for himself than for Sasuke's benefit, and took a step forward. "Although I think I could have some fun with you…" He took another step. "Yes, I probably could." One more step and Sasuke found himself backed up against a wall; he had unknowingly been retreating each time the blond in front of him had taken a step forward. Looking at Sasuke, the boy in front of him spoke again. "You're a fighter aren't you? You look like you would be. So, how about I make a deal with you?" His hand was raised to Sasuke's throat, suggesting Sasuke would concur, whether he liked it or not. "I'll tell you my name, you fight me and make it worth my while, and I won't kill you right away, how does that sound?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Damn straight he wasn't going down without a fight. "I don't think you really want to fight me," he replied, careful not to reveal any insecurity by keeping his voice confident and level.

"Is that so? In that case, I think I'm going to enjoy myself here, Sasuke. My name's Kyuubi, nice to meet ya," he said, lunging for Sasuke's throat.

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Ohh… a cliffie! I want to know about any pairings suggestions you have. They could be yaoi, yuri, or het, whichever you prefer. Oh and reviews much appreciated! hands out cookies Its not bribery, what are you talking about? 


	5. Chapter 4

Sasuke narrowed his eyes

Author's Note: I'm terribly sorry for the wait! I'm so ashamed of myself; I haven't touched this since February! I have excuses, but I'm sure you don't want to hear them, so I won't take up valuable space here to write them. Again, I apologize, but I swear it won't take me this long to update again, okay? Oh, and reviews pretty please?

Warnings: Some violence, language and hints at yaoi – don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: Don't own…obviously…

-- Recap --

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Damn straight he wasn't going down without a fight. "I don't think you really want to fight me," he replied, careful not to reveal any insecurity by keeping his voice confident and level.

"Is that so? In that case, I think I'm going to enjoy myself here, Sasuke. My name's Kyuubi, nice to meet ya," he said, lunging for Sasuke's throat.

-- End Recap –

A high-pitched scream to their side alerted both boys to a third party watching from their doorway. "Tsunade-sama! We need you in room thirteen, it's an emergency! Tsunade-sama!"

"What is it, Shizune?" the busty woman asked, heavy footfalls making their way down the hall.

At the sound of Tsunade's voice, Kyuubi angrily curled his hands into tight fists, one nail barely grazing Sasuke's cheek, and his eyes narrowed in fury. "Bitch…" Turning back to Sasuke, he growled. "I'm not done with you, Uchiha. Don't you fucking forget that!"

Rushing into the room, Tsunade made it just in time to see an infuriated blond flipping her off, before relinquishing control of the body he was in. Coming back to his senses, Naruto looked around the room, confused, before letting his eyes fall to his hand, mere inches away from a pale, slender neck. Seemingly unaffected, Sasuke stared back at him blankly, watching as the boy's eyes widened in horror at the blood dribbling down Sasuke's arm and face.

"Oh, god…no, not again…" All three people in the room watched as the blond sprinted to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. The quiet, tense atmosphere was more than silent enough to hear the muted 'click' of the shaken boy locking himself in.

As though the sound of the locking door was a cue, both women turned towards Sasuke, looking for some sort of a reaction. However, Sasuke's face was still blank, and only one thing was running through his head, '_Uchiha… how did he know?_'

Clearing her throat to break the awkward silence, Tsunade turned to Sasuke. "Shizune came in to take you to your first session of group therapy. Why don't you follow her out? I'm going to see what I can do about getting that gaki out of the bathroom."

Sasuke nodded, still unable to form words, and followed Shizune down the hall, watching her stop in front of a uniform white door and opening it. Stepping to the side, she motioned for Sasuke to go in before walking in behind him.

"Ano, Orochimaru-sama?" Shizune gulped nervously. "Sorry to be late, we had a mishap in room thirteen. I brought in Sasuke now, and Naruto should be coming in shortly," she said quietly before turning around and walking out the door, closing it silently behind her. Sasuke glared angrily at the older man, folding his arms protectively across his chest. Orochimaru's long, dark hair fell across his shoulders, shorter strands framing his sickly pale face and emphasizing the purple marks around his snake-like golden eyes.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun, come in. We've heard _so much_ about you," Orochimaru hissed, his eyes glued in perverse fascination to the blood slowly making its way down Sasuke's cheek. At the sound of his name, Sasuke shuddered. The way the man in front of him said it made it sound so dirty. Just hearing his name spoken from those lips made Sasuke shiver in revulsion; he felt so unclean, so violated. It was times like these that he hated having a name that rolled off the tongue so easily. Sasuke was such an easy name to hiss out, and he found himself instantly jealous of the blond dobe. The name Naruto couldn't be corrupted as easily as his own. Noticing that Orochimaru was still fixated on the blood dripping from his new wound, Sasuke wiped it away with disgust, effectively breaking the older man's trance. Stepping aside, he turned to introduce a sliver-haired man with circular glasses and a smirk plastered on his face. "This is Kabuto. I don't believe you've met, ne, Sasuke-kun? He's one of the newer additions here." Sasuke regarded the medic coldly, not moving from his spot in the doorway. Waiting for the two men to sit down before taking his own seat, he scanned the room and was devastated to find Suigetsu amongst the others looking curiously his way. His face lit up in recognition and he prodded the boy next to him, whom Sasuke had come to know as Kimimaru.

Due to much prompting, Sasuke reluctantly sat in the empty chair next to Suigetsu and refolded his arms, hoping that the boy would get the message and stay silent for once. Much to his relief, Suigetsu continued talking to the quiet boy next to him.

"While we wait for our last participant, I'm going to give a brief description of what group therapy is," Kabuto stated matter-of-factly.

To this, Suigetsu snorted obnoxiously. "We already know what it is. Group therapy is a fancy name for what you shrinks do when you're too lazy to deal with us alone. You stick us with a bunch of other nut jobs and hope that by talking to each other we'll magically become 'fixed'! Isn't that right, Kimimaru?" Fearfully looking up from his clasped hands, the boy's eyes darted from Orochimaru to Suigetsu and back again. Catching sight to the boy's glance, Orochimaru's lips stretched into a knowing smirk. Realizing that he had been caught staring, Kimimaru hastily looked back down at his hands, a bright red blush making itself evident on the boy's pale face.

"Tsk tsk, Suigetsu…insolence isn't a trait to be proud of. And to drag your poor, innocent roommate into it as well," Orochimaru crooned, stroking Kimimaru's feathery white hair. "That's a bit inconsiderate, don't you think, Kimimaru-kun?" Blushing profusely, the boy could only nod silently as Orochimaru gracefully slipped back into his seat. Murmurs of 'pervert' and 'sick' could be heard amongst the boys in the room, though no one could pinpoint exactly where they came from or to which of the two males they were referring.

"Of course, Orochimaru-_sama_, how rude of me," Suigetsu snarled, narrowed eyes flashing with barely concealed contempt.

"Insolence and insubordination wouldn't have anything to do with why you're here, would they, Suigetsu?" Kabuto smirked and adjusted his glasses, the light reflecting off of them making it impossible to see his eyes.

"Can it, four-eyes. I know perfectly fucking well why I'm here, as well as a thousand reasons for why I shouldn't be," Suigetsu replied, stubbornly folding his arms across his chest.

"Excuse me for interrupting this lovely conversation" a voice called from across the room, not sounding at all sorry, "but could we let Kabuto please speak so we can continue with what we're supposed to be doing?"

"I agree with Neji-san," Haku interjected from his seat between Sai and Lee. "Could we please stop arguing and continue?"

Haku's quiet interruption was met by an overly enthusiastic response from the boy next to him, no doubt involving some sort of exclamation about the 'springtime of youth.' However, by that time, Sasuke had stopped listening and was staring impassively at the door. It was probably because of this that he was the first to notice it as it flew open.

-- Scene Change --

Locking the bathroom door, Naruto sank down to the floor, still shaking. In his head, he could still hear Kyuubi laughing, laughing at his weakness. Pulling his knees up to his chest, Naruto wrapped his arms around himself in a protective shield. However, the invisible barrier he was trying to create did nothing to protect him from the malicious laughter in his head. He couldn't stand it; the demon was going to drive him off the brink of insanity. Doing the only thing he could think of, he clapped his hands over his ears and screamed. He screamed until he could drown out the laughter and his throat burned in agonized protest.

Taking his hands off his ears, he wrapped them around his shoulders as he leaned back against the door and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down and stop the uncontrollable shaking. However, instead of seeing the black void that usually awaited him, he found himself greeted by Sasuke's blank and emotionless face. The scratch was still on his cheek and Naruto inwardly convulsed at the image of blood sliding down his face. He had seen others bleed before, but none had ever disturbed him as much as what he had just witnessed. Seeing Sasuke bleed must have been one of the most unnatural things Naruto had ever been forced to watch. The boy's porcelain skin wasn't suited to blood, and that confusion had been reflected in the boy's onyx orbs. Tightly squeezing his eyes together, Naruto tried to dispel the image from his head. However, his efforts were in vain as he could still see Sasuke's eyes, clouded with panic, uncertainty and a myriad of other emotions that Naruto couldn't distinguish. However, Naruto was certain that disgust must have been amongst them, after all, he had gotten used to seeing it in the eyes of the villagers back home. Standing up abruptly, Naruto found himself face-to-face with his own bloodshot eyes and tear streaked cheeks. He scowled at his reflection as he angrily wiped away the drying tears and shoved his hands into his pockets.

'_Monster…you see that boy in the mirror, Naruto? He's a monster…and that's all you'll ever be.'_

Naruto's hands clenched reflexively as he heard the demon's voice echoing in his head. The accusatory tone hurt, but not as much as knowing that what he heard was true. He **was** a monster. He could feel all his pent up rage threatening to break free as he glared at his reflection with an untamed ferocity. Seeing his own face staring back at him with the same animalistic expression only fueled his anger. The face in the mirror, his face, looked too much like a beast.

He **would not** be a monster, he thought, projecting all his impure thoughts onto his reflection. Clutching the cold, metal object that he had unknowingly grabbed as he shoved his hands into his pockets, he yanked it out and, with a sound like a strangled battle cry, let it fly at the animal in the mirror, watching with a sort of jaded satisfaction as it shattered and the pieces crashed down to the tiled floor. Making a subconscious effort to avoid the scattered pieces of splintered glass (after all, it wouldn't do to bleed again) Naruto slumped to the floor and shuddered as his toe made contact with the object that had come out of his pocket. Looking down, he was shocked to find… he blinked slowly, were those… nail-clippers?

For anyone else, such an ordinary object wouldn't have instilled in them any sort of powerful emotion, but at the sight of the nail-clippers, Naruto's heart leapt. The effect of the bathroom's bright white fluorescent lighting glinting off the small metal object as if it were something rare and precious only helped to solidify the growing feeling in the pit of his stomach. Without a second thought, Naruto snatched them up, the sound of his long nails clacking together strengthening his resolve. Only when the nail-clippers slipped through his fingers and clattered back down to the floor did Naruto realize he was still shaking.

Undeterred, Naruto reached out for them again, the thoughts running through his head going much too fast for him to follow. There was only one thought that he was able to grasp as they all when whizzing by. Eliminating the nails meant eliminating the demon. Grasping the nail-clippers, Naruto wondered how such a simple solution had evaded him for so long. Ignoring the warning bells and flashing lights in his head begging him to stop, he began to hack off the deadly weapons decorating his fingers with a newfound determination. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could still hear his name being called persistently and desperately but his mind was only focused on the task at hand.

"…_uto…Naruto…Naruto!"_

Angrily snapping off the last remnants of the demon inside, Naruto slumped down against the bathroom door, spent.

"_Naruto…Naru_to…Naruto!"

Why could he still hear it? The demon was gone; why was its voice still echoing in his head?

"Naruto!…Naruto, I don't care what you're doing in there! If you don't answer me this instant I swear to god this door will be coming down!"

Quickly realizing that the voice he was hearing wasn't Kyuubi at all, he jumped to his feet and hastily opened the door before the woman on the other side could made good on her threat.

Upon seeing him, Tsunade's irritated glare dissipated into a relieved expression as she briefly hugged the stunned teen. However, such an expression lasted for only an instant before she caught sight of the boy's hands. Stunned, she loosened her grip on the teen and managed to grab a claw-less hand in her own.

"Naruto, your nails…What have you done?" At the woman's question, a strange feeling washed over him, almost like deja vous, but not quite.

"_Naruto, your nails…What have you done?"_

"_Ha-ha, don't worry about it Iruka," Naruto laughed, nervously scratching at the back of his head with is newly blunted nails. "I just thought of the perfect way to keep Kyuubi in check; brilliant isn't it?"_

_Grinning slightly, Iruka went to ruffle the blonde's hair as his other hand automatically went to the bandage decorating the bridge of his nose. Not knowing what to say to the young teen, his smile faltered slightly._

"_Brilliant, huh? That's new for you, isn't it, Naruto?" Naruto playfully slapped away the hand on top of his head and crossed his arms, pouting._

"_Aw, you're so mean Iruka," Naruto whined, moving to take a step towards his guardian before tripping over the leg of the chair next to him. The last thing he remembered seeing was Iruka's alarmed expression before he hit the floor, realizing he had skinned his knee as the kitchen tiles underneath him were stained a slight red. Then, he blacked out._

_When he had regained consciousness, the only thing he could do was scream. His stomach felt like it was on fire and, though his eyes were closed, he could sense that it was too bright, and the light stung. His screams echoed through the room, though he still couldn't identify where he was, and he ached to end the searing pain in his stomach__, but his limbs remained immobile__. At the second scream, he could hear a door opening and the rustling of clothing as people came rushing in. A flood of unfamiliar voices filled his ears and he struggled to open his eyes against the harsh light._

"_Naruto! Naruto, are you okay?" Finally, his eyes managed to flutter open and he caught a glimpse of Iruka's agitated expression before his eyesight went fuzzy and the sounds around him blurred together. 'Funny,' he thought, looking blearily around the room. 'I never thought I'd ever end up in a hospital like this.' Then, his eyes closing drearily shut, he lost consciousness for the second time that day._

Only now realizing just what he had done, he gasped at the sight of his hands before looking up at Tsunade, plastering a fake smile on his face, as he had done so many times in the past.

"Eh? Oh, this is nothing! I'd be more worried about the bathroom than me," he grinned cheekily. "I'd hate to know how much a new mirror is going to cost." Before the woman had a chance to explode at him for the second time that day, he spoke again, looking around the room. "Hey, baa-chan, where'd teme go?"

"Group therapy, gaki. Room 001, where you should be now. And WHAT did I say about calling me that?" Barely evading the woman's grasp, he ran to the door.

"Got it! Room 001, later baa-chan!" Sticking his head back through the door, he winked mischievously before running down the hall, laughing as he heard the ill-tempered hospital owner yelling after him. Scanning the numbers on the doors as he ran past, he nearly ran right by 001 and skidded to a stop in front of the nondescript white door, panting as he pushed it and it flew open.

Inside, the voices died down as the occupants of the whitewashed room turned to look at him, their eyes joining Sasuke's in staring blankly at the blonde's grand entrance. Raising his hand to scratch nervously at the back of his head, a gesture that had long ago become a habit, he smiled sheepishly.

"Hehe, sorry, complications in room thirteen." Looking around and noticing none of the stares waver, he quickly sat down next to his roommate in the room's last empty seat. "What did I miss, Sasuke-teme? And why is everyone staring at me?"

Giving him a glare, Sasuke pointedly ignored the insult tacked onto the end of his name, not even dignifying the boy's idiotic question with a response.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, how nice of you to join us," Orochimaru hissed, and Naruto whipped around, not even noticing the older man standing behind him. "Now that we finally have our last participant, I believe we can begin, Kabuto?"

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama," he nodded dutifully, standing up as the other man went to sit back down. "As many of you already know," he began, shooting Naruto a stern glance, "this is group therapy. Today, we will be starting out trust unit." At the word trust, several backs stiffened, making it all too clear the nature of the participants' disorders. The only one seemingly unaffected by the statement was Lee, who was, for once, quiet, as he listened attentively to the medic's speech. "You will be paired off with your roommates and in the next several minutes, you will have to tell them something you have never told anyone before." Kabuto's statement had caused a small uproar, with Suigetsu immediately jumping out of his seat to argue loudly with the man whilst the others darted suspicious glares at each other from across the room. Standing up, Orochimaru brought a hand down over his assistant's shoulder, towering over the boys with a lecherous smile.

"Kabuto," he hissed, eyeing the med student with an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes, causing all but his assistant to shudder, "that was a bit sudden for them, no? The poor boys must be in shock," he murmured, shooting Sasuke an almost lustful glance as he brought his other hand up to Kabuto's other shoulder, leaning in closely so his mouth was right by the other's ear. "Give them a little while to get used to the idea, Kabuto," he whispered in the man's ear. "We shouldn't have any problems, right boys?" The menacing aura radiating off the man was more than enough to render the boys silent. "Good, in that case, I'll be in my office, Kabuto. I believe we have something to…_discuss_." With that, he left, his long hair swishing behind him as he slipped through the door to his office.

"You heard him, boys. You may begin," Kabuto smirked, picking up the notepad from his chair and following Orochimaru out of the room.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, only to find the boy already staring at him, a blank expression on his face. Already, the hate that he had been harboring for his roommate had dissipated. After all, no mater how much of a bastard he was, no one deserved to have Kyuubi's fury unleashed upon him. Scanning his stoic roommate's face, Naruto's eyes passed over the scratch on Sasuke's cheek and immediately shot downward as he occupied himself with looking distractedly at the cut-down nails on his hands. Realizing that the other roommates had already begun talking, he became aware of the awkward silence that filled the air.

"You know, this is only the second time I've ever cut my nails," Naruto confessed, not knowing where to begin. He felt like he owed his roommate something, but the boy's cold exterior was making him nervous. Normally, he avoided people like Sasuke, gravitating more towards people like Kiba, who were outgoing and friendly, as opposed to introverted and emotionless.

"I forgot how it happened, but Kyuubi had come out when I was home with my guardian, Iruka." At the word guardian, Sasuke looked up, surprised, but Naruto didn't notice. He was still looking down at his hands. "When I finally came to, Iruka was passed out on the couch, blood pouring from a deep gash across the bridge of his nose. I…I realized then, that it," here the blonde's voice cracked, trying to suppress his tears; "…it was me who had done it. H-he had to be rushed to the hospital, but they wouldn't allow me to come with them. I was locked up in our apartment; quarantined, they said," he laughed bitterly, "like it was contagious or something. All I could do was sit, not knowing what was going on, not knowing if…if he would be alright." Naruto sniffed, a hand coming up to wipe the stray tears that stained his cheeks. "I sat in that place, alone, for…for almost a week, with nothing to do but worry and think. Iruka was, well, he was the only one I knew who didn't…who didn't hate me." He paused, fiddling with his thumbs, not used to the look of them without Kyuubi's mark.

"So, I cut them. If Kyuubi didn't have them, he shouldn't be able to hurt anyone, right? Without those nails, Iruka would be safe, wouldn't he?" Cerulean blue eyes bore holes into Sasuke's own as Naruto finally looked up at him, begging, pleading. His voice was strained and desperate, as if trying to convince not Sasuke, but himself. "Iruka was shocked, but to me, it didn't matter. For once, I felt…I felt in control of myself. I felt that I could finally protect someone. B-but, that day, the day Iruka came back, I…I fell, skinned my knee. Kyuubi came out."

Naruto was again looking down at his hands, repositioning them constantly. The familiar feeling of breaking down, the same fear of shattering that he felt then was threatening to overcome him now. But, he refused to show weakness in front of Sasuke, he refused. Not even fully conscious of what he was doing, his hands automatically reached out for the closest solid thing he could find, which happened to be Sasuke's own, sitting lifelessly in his lap. The raven flinched at the action, unaccustomed to physical contact, but didn't pull back.

"When…when I regained conciseness, I was in the hospital, suffering from third degree burns and blood loss. My stomach, it hurt, it really hurt." Drawing in a shuddering breath, he continued. "It was Kyuubi. He…he said the scar was supposed to be a warning. '**You should know better, kit. Don't do it again.**' That's what he told me, you know?"

The long silence that followed allowed Naruto's thoughts to catch up with his mouth, and his eyes widened, realizing just what he had told his roommate. Blushing profusely, he pulled his hands back, quickly drying his face as he wondered what had possessed him to hold Sasuke's hand to begin with. Blinking the remaining tears out of his eyes, he smiled awkwardly, resting his traitorous hands behind his head.

Looking at the boy in front of him with wide eyes, Sasuke tried to comprehend what the blonde was trying to tell him. The concept in itself was simple enough to understand, but there was one thing that kept interrupting his thoughts. '_That dobe…he did something so stupid…because of me?'_

"Heh, I never was good at following directions anyway," Naruto laughed, trying to smooth the tension that had descended over the conversation. Feeling increasingly embarrassed, Naruto's smile eventually faded and his hands fell back in his lap as a heavy silence washed over the two of them. The noise being made by the other in the room had dissipated into a dull roar as the silence became increasingly deafening.

"My brother's birthday."

"Eh?" Naruto asked dumbly, not entirely sure why Sasuke had changed the topic so suddenly.

"You asked me what happened on June 9th. It's my brother's birthday." Unable to look Naruto in the eyes, Sasuke's gaze fell to his own hands as he unconsciously rubbed them together, wondering just when they had become so cold, as his mind instantly thought of the lost warmth when Naruto had let go. Scowling mentally at the thought, Sasuke continued.

"My brother was released from this place on June 8th, just in time for his birthday. Then, on the 9th, he murdered both our parents, and fled" Gritting his teeth, Sasuke clenched his fists tightly in an attempt to keep his anger in check, only releasing them when his palms started to sting and you could see the small half-moon marks made by his nails on his palms.

Perhaps for the first time in his life, Naruto found himself rendered utterly speechless. To be honest, he hadn't quite known what kind of an answer to expect when he asked the question, but with the way Sasuke had handled the photo, he certainly hadn't been anticipating something like that. In all his life, he had learned how to deal with awkward and precarious situations with ease, seeing as how the situations were almost always brought about because of him. However, this time, no jokes or witty comments came to mind that could help make everything alright. Instead, the two just sat in silence, neither willing to break it.

The opening of Orochimaru's office door revealed a slightly flustered Kabuto, his hair falling out of its ponytail, his clothing wrinkled, and his cheeks flushed a dark pink. Behind him, looking much more composed, Orochimaru towered over his assistant, the only sign something was amiss, the stray locks of hair sticking slightly to his forehead and neck.

"Dismissed, boys. See you tomorrow," he hissed, smirking lecherously. "Don't be late," he added, eyeing Naruto distastefully. Watching the other boys quickly exiting the whitewashed room, Naruto turned back to his roommate, realizing that something still had to be said. Not trusting Sasuke to break the silence on his own, Naruto spoke.

"Wow, that really sucks," he blurted out, not thinking about what he was saying. However, instead of the angered response he had expected, Sasuke smiled slightly. It was brief, but it cut right into Naruto's heart as it wasn't a smirk, but a real smile.

"Yeah, it really does," he answered, walking out the door, Naruto following closely behind, his own lips parted in an infectious grin.

Author's Note: Reviews? Also, I was thinking about focusing this story on not just the two of them, but also (to a lesser extent) the other boy's in their group therapy, or perhaps others as well. But, I need to know what you think, okay?

P.S. The more reviews I get, the more likely I am to update faster! Thanks lots, love you guys!


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